News From the Padded Cell

Sir Menzies Campbell, one of Her Majesty’s Counsel Learned in the Law, has reached his “own objective judgement” concerning the Constitutional Treaty which Vanity Blair signed in June of this year, shortly before being airbrushed from history, or so he tells us in an interview with Andrew Marr on the Andrew Marr Show yesterday

How you may ask did he reach such a momentous conclusion, given the sheer size of the original Constitutional Treaty and its doppelgänger, the Constitutional Treaty Mark II?

“Well I believe that the document, which I’ve looked at, and which of course is the basis upon which a final document is to be produced, does differ in sufficiently material respects that a referendum is not required on the document which ought eventually to emerge.”

The original Constitutional Treaty was a highly complex document, the effects of which require a considerable amount of thought and study to understand. The replacement document is even more complex, couched as it is in highly technical language that has, as we know, been made deliberately obfuscatory by its progenitors so as to make its meaning the more obscure.

And all the Leader of a political party which aspires to power in the land can be bothered to do is to say “I’ve looked at it”.

How on earth can he come to the conclusion that the new Treaty “does differ in sufficiently material respects” from the original if all he has done is look at it?

Andrew Marr, sadly, gave him a pretty easy ride on this but there was one exchange which concluded the part about the referendum which is revealing:

ANDREW MARR: When eighty odd per cent of the country would like to vote on it why is right for somebody in your position to say they can’t?

SIR MING CAMPBELL: Well if that’s my judgment it’s right that I should exercise my judgment. For heaven’s sake there are far too many politicians in this country who lick their finger, hold it up and see which way the wind’s blowing and then say what they’re in favour of. This is what I’m in favour of.

In other words, “I know best what’s good for you and you can stuff your public opinion up your jumper”.

Well, that will play well to the 78% of the people who, of those expressing a view one way or another in the latest YouGov poll, want a referendum.

The contempt with which the Liberal “Democrats” view we “Little People” may be measured by reference to the statements of Mr. David Laws, close ally of Sir Menzies Campbell, who yesterday denounced those of us who have actually bothered to read the Treaty or who have troubled to read a detailed analysis of it as ‘a lunatic fringe’:

“There is this sort of lunatic fringe on the edge of British politics which persists in having this conspiracy theory about Europe.

“Our view is, let’s take those people head on, let’s have an argument about whether we want to be in the European Union that’s liberal and devolved.

“Let’s highlight the good things about Europe and emphasise the things the EU doesn’t get involved in, quite rightly.

‘Let’s not have this fake argument about a treaty that frankly is now so detailed and technical no one apart from a few headbangers actually understands it.”

Abusing people who have taken the trouble to think carefully about this Treaty and the effects it will have as matter of law as ‘lunatic’ and ‘headbangers’ shows, you may think, just how bereft their own arguments are of a properly reasoned basis and legitimacy.

And to dismiss a Treaty that might actually remove the United Kingdom’s Independence as not being worth the candle of reading and studying because “frankly[it] is now so detailed and technical no one apart from a few headbangers actually understands it” must surely rank as evidence, if you actually needed it, of just how unfit the Liberal ‘Democrats’ are for Government of any kind.

So much, then, for the ‘honest’ debate Campbell suggested we should have on this issue: we now know we are not going to have it, such being unnecessary as those of us who have bothered to read the thing as opposed to merely looking at it in amazed stupefaction are, of course quite bonkers.

I leave you with the first of a series of comparative quotes which I shall try and do each day, as I contemplate the world from my own little Liberal ‘Democrat’ designed ‘rubber room’, tapping away with my toes because of the problems with my strait jacket….:

“The constitutional project, as the document states, was abandoned.”

Gordon Brown [Press Conference, 9th. July 2007]

“A great part of the content of the European Constitution is captured in the newtreaties… We have not let a single substantial point of the constitutional treaty go… It is, without a doubt, much more than a treaty. This is a project of foundational character, a treaty for a new Europe.”

José Zapatero, Spanish Prime Minister

[El País 23rd. June 2007 and speech in The Cortes, 27th. June 2007]

Of course, the problem with good old José is, sadly, that he is quite bonkers.